Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 47758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
“That was easy.”
“I want a bath, okay? I may be scum of the earth to you, but I like to be clean.” Even when she’d lived on the streets, she’d always tried to make it so she could have a bath. When she earned change from people passing by and wanting to do a good deed, she didn’t spend it on drink or drugs. Food, and a nice trip to the local swimming baths. She got a shower out of it, and it was relatively cheap on admittance.
Once she got her shit together to rent an apartment, there was no way she was ever going back on the streets, at least that was what she told herself daily. She had a plan and a way of executing it. She’d always been able to have a plan and to work around problems. Right now, it was a problem, a big one, but nothing she couldn’t fix. It would be easy for her handle.
“Fine. A bath it is.” Rick helped her to her feet and led her out of the room. She didn’t attack them. No, she would have to play along for the time being. It was the only way she was going to survive.
They went down a long corridor toward the end of the hall, then down a flight of steps. It was like a maze. Rick entered a huge bathroom. The bath itself was like a mini-pool. “You have everything you need in here. You’ve got ten minutes.”
“Wait, it will take that long for me to run the bath.”
“Oh, you’ve got ten minutes and then I’m coming in to make sure you’re not trying anything funny.” He held her wrist and lifted it up. She’d been too busy checking the layout of the house for a possible escape to realize he’d been holding her wrist, feeling her scars.
She tried to tug out of his hold but his grip tightened. “I didn’t try to kill myself, okay. This was an attack.”
“Really?”
“If you’re so smart, check it out. One of the kids didn’t take their meds or whatever. He tied me up, a couple of the other kids as well, and slashed our wrists. Told us he was bleeding the evil out of us. He ended up killing himself before the police got to us.” She shrugged. For weeks afterward, she had nightmares. “I’m sure there’s a police report for it. Believe me, no matter how horrible life gets, I’m not taking mine. Not yet. I will fight.”
“Good. You’re going to need that fighting spirit.”
He left the bathroom, closing the door.
“Arsehole.”
She put the plug in the bath, checked the taps for the hot water, and even found some bubble bath, which she added. While the water ran, she removed her clothes, seeing the stains from some of the food the chef had spilled on her.
Stripped down naked, she didn’t take a chance on the time and climbed into the water. After turning off the cold tap, she kept the hot water running. Closing her eyes, she dipped her head back into the water. Bliss.
She did love a nice hot bath.
Rick didn’t even knock. He walked right back into the bathroom with a chair.
“Your little boy band isn’t with you.”
“They’ve got a potential lead.”
“Yay, and you won’t need me. I’ll have a bath, and you can get me on the nearest flight. I won’t have to do anything bad.”
“We don’t want you to do anything bad anyway. We just need your help.”
“No, you want me to put my life in danger to help your nephew who has gone off the rails. You think it’s going to be easy for me. Do you want me to behave like that girl in that photo?” She already didn’t like the girl in the photo.
That girl got an easy life, and if what Rick said was true, her sister got a hell of a better life than the one she did. There was nothing to be happy about.
“I don’t want you to be the girl in the photo. I want you to be yourself.”
“Oh, right, because I’m so fucking charming.”
“No, it’s because you’re not charming at all,” he said. “Sarah was accommodating. She was easily told what was going to happen and never, not once, tried to make waves. I’m sure she was afraid but she kept it all to herself. She became a problem and my brother eliminated her.”
“You’re mistaking me for someone who cares.”
“No, that’s the point. Landon, he’s hurting. He’s confused and I think you’re going to be able to help him think straight by being yourself. Landon doesn’t need me to train you to say all the right words, or any of that shit. He needs the truth. No matter how scary it is for him.”
“Do you care about him?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Then why not leave him be? In all my experience, if a person wants to be found, they will allow themselves to be found. They won’t cause this kind of trouble you said he’s causing. He doesn’t want to come home.”